LOS ANGELES AND DENVER, June 2, 2022— Nextbite, a leader and innovator in virtual restaurant solutions, today announced that producer and tech entrepreneur will.i.am has joined the fast-growing company as Advisor. He will guide Nextbite regarding strategic initiatives in both brand-building and creative go-to-marketing strategies for its delivery-only restaurant concepts.
The music producer and Black Eyed Peas frontman, whose 25-year music career necessitates ordering delivery on the road and while in-studio, was frustrated by the lack of flavorful and nutritious meals available for delivery. As a proponent for healthy living, will.i.am decided to partner with Nextbite to support its mission to bring a new range of diverse delivery-only menu options to diners across the country.
Related to his new role with Nextbite, will.i.am is a strict Vegan and an advocate for the benefits of a plant-based diet and maintaining an active lifestyle which aligns well with Nextbite’s growing virtual concept menus that include several popular vegan, Mediterranean and Asian inspired options.
“Nextbite has the right combination of technology and varied menu choices that are key to redefining the digital restaurant industry,” said will.i.am, Entertainment Industry Partnership Advisor at Nextbite. “While on tour and making music in-studio, I’ve eaten a lot of lukewarm, unhealthy delivered meals. The time is right for innovation in quality menus and delivery options.”
“A key ingredient in Nextbite’s growth and momentum is thanks to the expert guidance of advisors, and will.i.am brings keen futurist insights and connections into the evolving music and entertainment segment,” said Alex Canter, CEO and Co-Founder of Nextbite.
will.i.am’s work as a Futurist and opportunity spotter began with Beats Electronics where will.i.am became a founding equity stakeholder in the company that transformed professional audio headphones into Beats By Dre™, a best-selling global consumer electronics and fashion accessory. Beats Electronics was purchased by Apple in 2014 for US$3 billion. Leveraging his early success in the consumer electronics industry, will.i.am has continued to launch a range of his own companies focused on software incorporating AI, natural language understanding, voice computing, creativity & productivity, and customer-service functionality, as well as creating consumer-tech gear and apparel.
About will.i.am
will.i.am has teamed with some of the world’s leading brands including Accenture, Air Asia, Apple, BEATS Electronics, Coca-Cola, Deutsche Telekom, Expo 2020 (Dubai), FOX Entertainment, Gucci, Honeywell, IBM, Intel, Majid Al Futtaim Group, Marvel Comics, Mercedes-AMG, Microsoft, Penguin Publishing, Pepsi, Salesforce, and Sony Music/Epic Records. Recognized by business and trade organizations, will.i.am has been honored with a TIME 100 Impact Award; Global Citizen Award by the Atlantic Council; an Honorary Fellowship from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET); and a World Economic Forum Crystal Award. In the creative and entertainment industries, he is the recipient of seven Grammy Awards, three Billboard Latin Awards, a Latin Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, two CLIO Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, and a Root 100 Award.
About Nextbite
Nextbite is helping drive and shape the new digital era for the restaurant industry. A leader in virtual restaurants and the pioneer in online order management, the company is focused on helping restaurant partners successfully enter the virtual restaurant space with new delivery-only menus, using underutilized labor and kitchen capacity, to increase margins and revenue. Originally founded as Ordermark in 2017, Nextbite is the only all-in-one virtual restaurant solution for existing restaurants and kitchens that pairs the proven Ordermark online ordering/delivery management system with a selection of highly visible, on-trend, delivery brands. Headquartered in Denver and Los Angeles, Nextbite has more than $150M in funding, with its most recent round led by SoftBank. Learn more at nextbite.io, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.